Non-essential personnel at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office were allowed to head home at 11 a.m. today in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac's approach. But the department's 1,150 essential staffers, including patrol deputies, 911 dispatchers, the LASER division, and corrections officers, began implementing their major storm plan Sunday, according to Sheriff Newell Normand.

JPSOJefferson Parish sheriff's Office

"We canceled leave yesterday," he said Monday morning at the Sheriff's Office West Bank headquarters in Harvey. Patrol divisions, bolstered by deputies from the reserve and specialized investigations divisions, will begin special 12-hour storm shifts at 6 p.m. The move is part of the department's anti-looting efforts.

"The public will should expect to see a lot more police presence," Normand said. "We will begin patrolling the streets with overhead lights this evening."

Non-essential personnel, including clerical workers, some secretaries and other support staff, reported to work this morning to help implement the department's technology protection plan. Normand said staffers shut down computers and covered them in protective plastic wrapping. Those employees will not return to work until Thursday.

There are no plans to evacuate the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, Normand said. "We do not evacuate the jail unless there is an impending Category 3 or higher," he said. The Sheriff's Office SWAT team will relocate to the jail during the storm as a precaution.

The Sheriff's Office on Friday began topping off the department's reserve fuel tanks and increased the frequency on fuel deliveries. The Sheriff's Office also has several fuel trucks which can store thousands of gallons of gasoline stationed around the parish. Officials also began preparations to house and feed the deputies throughout the storm.

On the West Bank, Jefferson Parish deputies will be stationed at the department's 2nd and 3rd District headquarters in Harvey and Marrero. Deputies will also be stationed at the Sheriff's Office headquarters and the investigations bureau, both in Harvey, as well as the Jefferson Parish Emergency Operations Center in downtown Gretna.

Chief Deputy Tom Gorman will serve as the operations commander for the West Bank. Chief Deputy Craig Taffaro will serve as the operations commander in Grand Isle and Jean Lafitte. And Chief Deputy John Thevenot will serve as operations commander in East Jefferson, Normand said.

In East Jefferson, deputies will be stationed at the 1st and 4th District headquarters in Metairie as well as the department's Criminal Intelligence Center, located at 3300 Metairie Road, Metairie.

Normand said each of the locations will have high-water vehicles and boats ready for deployment, if necessary. The department will also move patrol cars to several high-rise parking garages in Metairie.

"We will have a very large police presence out in the streets in advance of the storm and in the aftermath of the storm," Normand said.